Shelton was supposed to meet friends and when she never showed, they called her cell phone. According to KNOE, a man answered the phone and claimed that he found it in the park. Friends drove to the park to retrieve the phone and reported Shelton missing.

Her body, which was found shortly after, has been identified by her parents.

“We’ve just been in shock since we first heard early Sunday that the body of a young woman found in a Lafayette city park was likely one of our own,” said GSU President Frank G. Pogue. “We immediately reached out to the family and we’ve been cooperating with Lafayette police. We know how important the first 24 to 48 hours of a police investigation can be.

“Now we encourage our students, faculty, staff and others to contact Lafayette city police, or our own campus police, if they think they have even a small bit of information that might be helpful,” added Pogue. “We need to assist police with this investigation and bring closure to this situation for the sake of Alex’s family and close friends.”

The Lafayette Parish Coroner’s Office has ruled out foul play, but Cpl. Paul Mouton said that detectives had not.

Shelton, an honor’s student with a 3.5 GPA, was to receive her degree in Criminal Justice on May 9. Grambling State University is filling out paperwork to present her family with the degree posthumously.